Labor Day Impromptu

WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH ME?!!!!

We woke up after our party with Cher and Chris feeling less than functional and before I knew it, I was organizing a Labor Day party. Mind you, I wasn't going to make a trip to the store for anything - just a hodge-podge collection of stuff from the many parties over the last week. A "non-laboring" Labor Day, as I put it. Although I was prepping and cooking most of the day anyway...

In attendance were Bill and Beckie with daughter Callie, good friend Michelle, and newlyweds Trae and Hillary.

On the menu: Mini-Filet Mignon Sandwiches with Goat Cheese, White Bean Puree on Crostini, Assorted Cheeses (still...), Tri-Colore Pasta Salad with Corn and Peppers, Aidells's Terriyaki Chicken Meatballs, and some goodies from TJ's that Michelle picked up. Those Filet sandwiches were kickin'!!!

Can't really say there were any formal pairings or insightful matches going on here. It WAS Labor Day - do we really have to think about and analyze the wine? Cause that would be like work and that's what we're not supposed to do! NO - we just popped some really great bottles and celebrated the day off.

To start we tried the recently released Domaine Tempier Bandol Rose 2009. It's gorgeous and everything I love about a rose. Light in body and flavors, but with great depth. It was great with the Delice de Bourgogne cheese. Is the wine overpriced? - sure. But I have to have a bottle or two each year. To follow, I opened my last bottle of Domaine de la Truffiere 'Les Folatieres' Puligny Montrachet 2001. I was thinking this was going over the hill and would probably be showing some oxidation. Boy was I wrong! This is the best bottle I've had of this and certainly the most sound. Completely balanced and drinking perfectly. Crystal clear lemon flavor over green and red apple. Focused minerality. Again, killer with the Burgundian cheese. I actually felt a little wine jealousy that I had to share this bottle...

On to reds! Michelle is a BIG Beaucastel fan so I pulled a bottle of the 2005 Coudoulet de Beaucastel (their second label) for her. It was in the guest cellar specifically for a time when she might come over. I was much less impressed with this than I have been in the past. It seems to be going into that raisin territory and felt a little overblown for my taste.

Trae arrived around that time and I opened a Neal 'Second Chance Vineyard' Cabernet Sauvignon 2002. Unfortunately, it was corked. In place of that, I grabbed an Ashe Family 'Entre Nous' Cabernet Sauvignon 2007. This is a brand new release from a new winery in Oakville that I'm sort of taken with. They only make four barrels of this Cab along with some Sauvignon Blanc. Both are pretty terrific. The fruit is very generous with currant jam balanced by blackberry acidity and mocha. Not mind-bending, but it is a powerful first effort in a strong vintage.

For fun, we next tried another Oakville Cabernet from Tierra Roja 2005. This is another tiny and new producer making under 300 cases on the east side of the valley at the base of the mountains. I've found her wines to be a bit of a roller coaster ride as far as consistency. I originally did not like her 2005, then preferred her 2005 to the 2004, but that has completely reversed in the past few months, with the 2004 returning to be the better wine. These are good quality wines in general, but the 2005 left a bit to be desired last night.

On to the old friends portion of the evening: my last bottle of the 2002 Lewis Cellars 'Alec's Blend' and a 2004 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon. Clearly our palates were fatigued after the line-up so suffice it to say that both were drinking well and served their purpose as follow-up wines to a "t".

Kara woke up the morning after and swore off drinking for awhile. We'll see....